Greetings m32!
Welcome to the Forums and the world of Airstreaming!
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Originally Posted by m32
Hi all,
Just introducing myself and at the same time, I'd appreciate your input on my situation.
I work in the Oil and Gas industry and fly to Midland, Tx a few times a month. I have come to an agreement with my company that if I purchase the trailer, they will reimburse me $250/night for each night I stay. I am looking at buying a small airstream (either the Sport or Base camp) and parking it in Midland.
So I've never owned anything like this so I'm starting my research now and would love the community's expertise on a few questions:
1. What are the true daily costs to run the trailer? I know there are trailer park costs but I am planning to park it in my buddy's back yard. If that's the case, are my out of pocket costs only just gas/diesel to run the generator and water? Is it possible to park it at a friend's backyard or do I have to stay at a trailer park?
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There are several things to be considered, but what you propose can be done. The first consideration is whether you anticipate running the coach's air conditioner. The air conditioner requires 30-AMP electrical service, and in a residential neighborhood it may not be practical (or legal) to run a generator to power the air conditioner around the clock. Assuming that you wish to have bathing an cooking facilities available, you will also need to deal with water supply, and more importantly waste water management -- without connection to a permanent sewer, you will likely be facing at least two to as many as four trips per month to an RV dump station to empty the waste water holding tanks. Also to be considered is that some residential developments have regulations pertaining to how long RVs may remain on a particular property as well as to whether that RV may be occupied while parked there.
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Originally Posted by m32
2. Is the Sport or Base camp the right options to look at? I do plan on using this trailer for personal use to move 2-3 people around.
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This is a question that you can only answer after having actually spent some time inside each of the coaches that you are considering. Things to think about include comfort and practicality of sleeping arrangements for your use, comfort and practicality of bathing/bathroom facilities for your use, comfort and practicality of cooking facilities for your use, and the overall feeling of the coach. If you are planning on a significant amount of travel with 3 people my suggestion would be to consider a trailer with sleeping accommodations for at least 4 -- my 6-Metre Minuet is rated to sleep 4 but it is VERY crowded for 3 and quite uncomfortable for 4 -- but that will also depend upon the individuals traveling to some degree.
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Originally Posted by m32
3. Is this a good idea and would you do the same? I figured that I could save the company money while at the same time, have them help pay for it. I suspect I will be charging the company back ~$1K per month.
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In many ways, this could be an ideal situation. You have hit on one of the reasons that I like to RV rather that rely upon hotels/motels/etc. when traveling. It is so nice to have my own bathroom, bedroom and kitchen where I know how it has been equipped, maintained and cleaned. Don't forget to calculate in the cost of a tow vehicle if your current car/truck/SUV isn't capable of towing the Airstream that you select. One last thing to consider is to do a little thinking about how you picture using the RV in the future -- Airstreams last a very long time. I went on my first camping trip in the '64 Overlander in
1964 and am still enjoying using it to this day.
Good luck with your investigation!
Kevin
Member New to Airstreaming
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